Caster



J. JACOBS Oct. 19, 1954 CASTER Filed Jan. 15, 1953 INVENTOR I BY ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 19, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CASTER Jules Jacobs, Jackson Heights, N. Y.

Application January 15, 1953, Serial No. 331,430

1 Claim. 1

The invention relates to improvements in casters for facilitating the moving of furniture, household effects, and other articles in or about dwellings, offices, factories or the like.

The conventional dolly is cumbersome and requires lifting the object to be moved upon the dolly, which in and of itself is a task. I have devised an improved caster which can be fitted on varied sizes of legs of furniture and other articles, which enables the movement thereof with slight effort, and requires no lifting of the object per se, but only one leg at a time.

One object comprehends casters which will eliminate the danger of householders and others straining their backs and also obviate the deleterious, sometimes fatal results which follow the manual moving of heavy objects; another object contemplates the provision of casters which can with facility be fitted to varied sizes of legs of articles to be moved. Another object envisions a lightweight caster which canbe fabricated of readily available lightweight material at low cost, placing the casters within the reach of the modest household budget. Other objects will be apparent after a perusal of the specification and drawing.

Briefly described, in one form the improved caster comprises a support or casing internally recessed and provided with a plurality of ledges or shoulders, staggered consecutively smaller from the largest opening at the top, which may be cross-sectionally square. Beneath the top opening and each ledge or shoulder are formed vertical side walls, which encase the bottom end portion of the leg of the object to be moved, with the ledges supporting the same, while beneath the housing are either ball-bearing or swiveled casters.

In another preferred form of the invention the top opening of the support is cross-sectionally circular, with the vertical side walls beneath the top opening and each of the staggered ledges being cylindrical.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one form of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side-elevational view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view thereof.

Fig. 4 is a partial view of a bottom of the caster with another type of wheel.

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of another form of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a top plan view thereof.

Fig. '7 is a perspective view.

For purpose of explication, following are the numbered elements of the invention, with referenceto Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4:

5improved caster. 6-casing.

l-opening.

8-linner vertical side wall. 9-ledge.

lllinner vertical side wall. Il-ledge.

l2-inner vertical side wall. Iii-ledge.

lt-inner vertical side wall.

I 5-bottom.

l6caster mounting. ll-caster wheel. l8-caster (modified). I9load.

Following are the numbered elements, with reference to Figs. 5, 6 and 7:

5 improved caster. ti -casing. l -opening.

il -inner vertical wall. 9 ledge. Ni -inner Il -ledge. l2 -inner l3 ledge. Ni -inner vertical wall. li -bottom.

IS -caster mounting. I'l -caster wheel.

Referring to the drawings, the improved caster, denoted by numeral 5, comprises a support or casing 6 which may be stamped or formed of spun aluminum, magnesium, metal, alloy, or any material having sufiicient rigidity and strength to support heavy objects and withstand the usual shock and stress attendant upon the movement of objects about the home, oflice, factory or the like.

As can be seen in Fig. 3, the top opening 1 of the support or casing 6 is square in cross-section, while there beneath are four vertically disposed side walls 8 terminating in shoulder or ledge 9.

Beneath ledge 9 are vertical side walls [0 terminating in ledge I Iand there beneath side walls l2, ledge l3 and finally side walls l4 and bottom [5.

Beneath bottom I5 is mounted caster mounting l6, with wheel I! or, as shown in Fig. 4, a swivel caster [8.

Thus, as depicted in Fig. 1, the improved caster will encase the leg bottoms of at least four varied vertical wall.

vertical wall.

sizes of legs of furniture or other articles-the casters can be fitted with facility to as many legs as the object to be moved is provided with, and with a minimum of effort the table, chair, refrigerator or article can be moved to the place desired. There is no attendant back or heart straining and the dire results flowing from overexertion are prevented.

In another preferred form of the invention the top and concentric lower opening of the support 7 are circular in cross-section while the respective vertical side walls form concentric cylinders 8 I 12 and [4 with bottom I5 the cylinders being progressively smaller in diameter to accommodate tube-like or cylindrical-like bottom legs or projections of furniture, or other objects Ledges 9 H I3 and I5 are provided in this form of the invention.

In this form of the invention I also mount caster mounting I5 wheel I1 and, of course, could employ caster IE, or any other form of wheel. In Figs. 2 and 5 are shown a load I9 positioned on the top ledge.

Provided with a set of four casters of the two preferred types, the householder, for example, can move furniture and most heavy objects with minimum effort, without lifting them on a cumbersome dolly, or moving without a dolly. And but one leg or corner of an object need be lifted at a time, with minimum effort.

As can be seen in the drawings, the overall height of each of the bodies 5 and 5 in the preferred embodiments of the invention is greater than the width of the top opening. with each of the illustrated side walls 8, l9, l2, l4 and 8 m l2 and 1 3. being of substantial and sufiicient height to effect a firm engaging encasement of the bottom end portion of each leg of the article to be supported and moved by the adjacent side wall whereby to eifectively retain the body thereon.

I reserve the right to make such changes or modifications as may come within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A caster for receiving different sizes of bottom ends of furniture legs and the like, said caster comprising an elongate hollow body of rigid material, said body being open at one end and having a transverse wall closing the other end, said body being vertically disposed in use with the open end directed upwardly, the body being of increasing width by steps from the closed bottom end to the open top end and having a length greater than its greatest width, the side wall of the body being formed above the bottom wall to provide a multiplicity of horizontal vertically spaced furniture-leg supporting ledges each extending around the interior of the wall and joined to a vertical surrounding wall portion of sufficient height to engage the sides of an inserted leg to retain the body thereon whereby the interior of the body provides from the bottom wall up a multiplicity of furniture-leg receiving sections of progressively increasing size, and a rotatable floor engaging member attached to the underside of said bottom wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

